Always 100 Spring Showcase: 2023 Standouts
The featured image is of Annaka Nelson Annaka Nelson 6'0" | PF Fort Wayne Concordia | 2023 State IN (2023) of Fort Wayne Concordia Lutheran School and Always 100 Black 17U. Sunday, March 20th, Always 100 hosted their annual Spring…
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Continue ReadingThe featured image is of Annaka Nelson Annaka Nelson 6'0" | PF Fort Wayne Concordia | 2023 State IN (2023) of Fort Wayne Concordia Lutheran School and Always 100 Black 17U.
Sunday, March 20th, Always 100 hosted their annual Spring Showcase at Warsaw Community High School. There was a morning session featuring approximately 65 girls and an afternoon session featuring another 65ish girls, primarily from one of the 21 Always 100 grassroots teams in 17U-14U set to take to the courts this Spring and Summer. This article is dedicated to the Class of 2023, so below are five ladies who I felt stood out with their play throughout the day, when I was able to see them. This is not every Junior who was in attendance, and more ladies played well than just these five, but they caught my eye for one reason or another with their play.
Tori Allen
Tori
Allen
5'9" | CG
Andrean | 2023
State
IN
, 2023, 5-9 CG, Andrean H.S.,
Always 100
Black 17U
– Tori has been a fixture in the Andrean lineup for the past three seasons, but last Summer was her first time really playing on the big stage in terms of grassroots basketball. She is a skilled shooter who continues to stretch her range and increase her consistency with added strength and maturity. She possesses good length, she’s a smooth and fluid athlete, and she handles the ball well and can efficiently run an offense as a point guard. However, she is such a dangerous shooter that college coaches will likely envision finding ways to get her coming off of screens every possession to knock down shots. She’s also an effortful defender.
Eva Fisher
Eva
Fisher
5'8" | SG
Northridge | 2023
State
IN
, 2023, 5-8 SG, Northridge H.S.,
Always 100
Black 17U
– Eva is another major Varsity contributor who has been key to Northridge’s success over the years. She is a strong athlete with both speed and bounce, and she plays with an outstanding motor. When she was younger, she played a bit too fast at times, but now she’s able to run offense and act as a point forward often. Her jump-shot continues to be more and more consistent, but she’s just so tough getting downhill, that I would want her in attack mode or at least using ball-screens and handoffs looking for gaps to get into the lane. I also like the fact that she is an aggressive pursuing rebounder, and she defends multiple positions.
Taylor Fordyce
Taylor
Fordyce
5'10" | SG
Carroll (Fort Wayne) | 2023
State
IN
, 2023, 5-10 SG, Carroll H.S. (Fort Wayne),
Always 100
Elite 17U
– Like Fisher (above), Taylor is another strong, physical wing guard who does a little of everything. In the past, she was dominant at times, using her strength to gain advantages at both ends of the floor. But as her game has matured, she has improved her shooting mechanics, therefore her shooting consistency and range have continued to improve. She has also worked on her handle and overall finesse offensively, while also being able to sit down and defend a number of different types of perimeter players, plus she can take on bigger wings and some forwards at times as well. Her versatility has already drawn her a lot of college attention.
Brooklyn McLemore, 2023, 6-2 C, Fort Wayne Northrop H.S.,
Always 100
Elite 17U
– Brooklyn moved into Fort Wayne from Mona Shores High School in Michigan back in the Fall. However, she did not get granted immediate eligibility, so she will be looking forward to providing a significant interior presence during the 2022-2023 season for the Lady Bruins. Brooklyn is a big, strong, physical presence inside. She is a people-mover and creates a lot of space with her physicality. She is a strong rebounder, an intimidating presence defensively, but she also has a little skill and can finish around the basket. I think her mobility and activity for how strong she is stood out for me at yesterday’s event.
Annaka Nelson
Annaka
Nelson
6'0" | PF
Fort Wayne Concordia | 2023
State
IN
, 2023, 6-0 PF, Fort Wayne Concordia Lutheran School,
Always 100
Black 17U
– It was great to see Annaka in action, after missing significant time due to complications with a back injury. She has always been a nice athlete with a wiry-strong frame, she has good length and some bounce to her, and she plays with a motor. She is a skillful three-level power forward who can post smaller defenders, execute consistently in the mid-post, and occasionally step outside and knock down a jumper or put it on the floor two to three dribbles and get somewhere productively. This could be a big Spring and Summer for her, as she’ll look to get back up to speed and be a key contributor.